Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 27
Highlands’ tennis team preps for all-away season while courts are renovated
The girls tennis team at Highlands School District will be serving up their skills away from their home court this season while the district completes a $1 million capital project. Court resurfacing and a revamped track at the nearby middle school are included in the work. “Crews will come Monday...
Highlands School District considering tax appeal settlement with the Highlands Mall
The Highlands School District could reap a tax windfall of $28,000 if the board accepts an assessment appeal settlement proposal from the owners of the Highlands Mall, the 15-store shopping plaza off of Freeport Road. The district also would earn more tax income each year going forward. The Highlands Mall...
Salvation Army’s Back-to-School Bash doles out supplies, confidence
From Bluey to Dora to Transformers, nearly 350 colorful bookbags — and all the supplies that could fit into them — went home with school-aged children at the Paul Field Memorial Back-to-School Bash at the Salvation Army in Brackenridge. In its 15th year, the event doubled as a festival for...
Indiana Township pizza shop sells winning Powerball ticket worth $214 million
Someone is $214 million richer after buying the jackpot-winning Powerball ticket at an Indiana Township pizza shop. The ticket, sold Monday at AJ’s Pizza on Harts Run Road, matched all five white balls drawn, 9-22-57-67-68, and the red Powerball, 14. The shop’s owner, Jinal Pandit, was shocked to hear he...
Harrison police warn of vehicle break-ins
Harrison police are urging residents to lock their doors after a spree in which two females were reported to be rifling through vehicles early Tuesday. Chief Brian Turack said officers were called about 12:15 a.m. to Spruce Street in the township’s Natrona neighborhood. “We received a report of two individuals...
Allegheny County has 90 days to green-light Brackenridge’s public works facility
Brackenridge Council will learn within 90 days whether it can move forward with construction of a $1.1 million public works building. Allegheny County hosted a Zoom meeting Thursday to review the preliminary land development application to replace the current facility that’s nearly 125 years old. The county oversaw the process...
Community fruit grove on ATI property proposed for Brackenridge
In the coming years, Brackenridge residents might be able to walk to a community fruit grove and pluck an apple or plum from a tree along Stieren Avenue. Councilman Dino Lopreiato is working to turn a vacant gravel lot into a hub for health and socialization. As head of the...
Wooden footbridge in Brackenridge will connect sections of Three Rivers Heritage Trail
A wooden footbridge is coming to First Avenue in Brackenridge to connect the borough’s two sections of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. It will span a water intake well near Morgan Street and provide a link in the borough’s walking trail, which was partially constructed last year. “The (well) structure...
Rural Ridge Tunnel closure, Brian Kelley concert could create traffic tangles in West Deer
A tunnel closure in Indiana Township and a high-profile country music concert in West Deer could create a traffic nightmare Friday. The 130-year-old Rural Ridge Tunnel on Little Deer Creek Valley Road is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. Friday for five weeks of repairs. On Friday night, former Florida...
Harrison Township Water Authority moving offices
After nearly 40 years in its location along Freeport Road, the Harrison Township Water Authority is moving its offices to better equip its operations. “The new building will have more storage and better data for communications,” General Manager Nick Colledge said. “When our site was built, computers weren’t even a...
Efforts to add liquor license at Freedom Square Diner in Harrison delayed
Diners at a popular Harrison eatery might be able to order an alcoholic beverage with their pancakes or Reuben sandwiches. It just won’t be any time soon. Freedom Square Diner, at the Walmart Plaza on Freeport Road, is seeking approval for a liquor license transfer to its space at 18...
Allegheny Valley Hospital exposes students to health care profession during Career Academy
Deer Lakes junior Cori Baughman has known for years she plans to pursue a job in the medical field. A hands-on career academy Monday at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison solidified it. “Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested,” said Baughman, 16. She already is enrolled in the nursing...
Verizon outages restored in Harrison, now impacting New Kensington and Plum
Verizon outages that plagued Harrison and Tarentum over the weekend have been restored, but now are being felt in New Kensington and Plum. Andy Choi, head of communications, said Verizon experienced fiber cuts on Monday that are causing additional disruptions. The network was impacted late Friday, causing limits on data,...
Cleanup ongoing after house partially collapses in North Braddock
Demolition crews were dispatched to North Braddock’s Stokes Street on Sunday after a house partially collapsed there. The incident happened early Sunday, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Neighbors told the news station they heard a boom before the house partially fell to the sidewalk. Neighbors were evacuated late Saturday...
Rollover crash closes portion of West Liberty Avenue in Dormont
Emergency crews responded Sunday afternoon to a crash involving multiple vehicles in Dormont. The borough’s fire department posted on social media that West Liberty Avenue was closed between Pioneer and LaSalle avenues. Motorists were advised to avoid the area. Police from several departments, firefighters and medics responded, according to TribLive...
Lower Burrell event promotes rescuing animals, showcases pets looking for homes
New Kensington’s Rick Ellis spent part of his Sunday afternoon sprawled out in Kotecki Memorial Park, lavishing love on adoptable dogs from Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley. Ellis, a volunteer at the New Kensington shelter, tussled with an Australian Cattle Dog-Beagle mix named Mogie and talked up the benefits of...
Alle-Kiski Valley senior citizens reap benefits of Sunny’s Community Garden in Indiana Township
Sandi Lando Welch has spent her career nourishing people’s souls. Now, the retired nonprofit leader is feeding people’s bellies, too. Welch launched Sunny’s Community Garden this spring in Indiana Township. It’s her third such initiative, following parcels in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and Manchester neighborhoods, with the goal of growing and...
Verizon wireless users have longer wait than expected for outages to be resolved in Harrison, Tarentum and beyond
A widespread cell phone outage for Verizon customers in parts of the Alle-Kiski Valley is now expected to take three times as long to resolve. According to the company’s website, Verizon is aware of the issue and crews are working on a solution. On Saturday, the expected wait time was...
Zion Methodist Community Church in Buffalo hosts Fun Fest for special needs families
The rain on Saturday afternoon fit right into the four seasons theme of a Fun Fest for special needs families at Zion Methodist Community Church in Buffalo Township. “We’ll have some sunshine too,” said organizer Becky Ross. “It’s all about making these families smile.” Among the foam machine and bouncy...
Safety Day in Harrison gives kids chance to mingle with emergency services
Citizens Hose volunteer Catherine Erb was giving six-year-year old Andrew Klein a deluxe tour of a fire engine during a children’s Safety Day event on Saturday when the youngster told her she had to stop. “If I hear any more good stuff my brain is gonna melt,” Andrew said. The...
Friends of the Riverfront seeks volunteers to clean the Tarentum waterfront by kayak
Anyone curious about the types of trash submerged in the Allegheny River can volunteer to pluck gas cans, soccer balls and other items from the Tarentum waterfront during a special event this month. Hosted by Friends of the Riverfront, the cleanup is part of a pilot program to target water-based...
Route 28 access limited near Baileys Run Road in East Deer
Motorists who’ve been dealing with a long-term closure along Baileys Run Road in East Deer might have been relieved to see the road reopen Wednesday. But they’ll have to be patient a bit longer. Another section of the road, between the Route 28 ramp and Freeport Road, closed at the...
Allegheny Land Trust seeks public help to buy and preserve 280 acres in Indiana Township
An expansive piece of land in the heart of rapidly developing Indiana Township could stay green if the Allegheny Land Trust secures pledges of $2.5 million by December. The nonprofit is eyeing 280 acres in the Deer Creek Watershed, where wildlife, trails and streams abound. Some of the property abuts...
Motorcyclist seriously injured in Harrison crash
A 19-year-old motorcyclist from Brackenridge was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash Saturday in Harrison, police said. Officers responded at about 3:45 p.m. to Dallas Avenue and Freeport Road, near Eat’n Park, to find the man’s motorcycle had collided with the passenger side of a Chevy sedan, Chief Brian Turack...
Volunteers collect ‘depressing volume’ of roadside trash across the state
For Aspinwall resident Kevin Kerr, the worst part of cleaning litter from Freeport Road is the sheer number of cigarette butts. “We get the food wrappers and pop cans, but the most frustrating and plentiful is definitely the butts,” said Kerr, who volunteers twice a year for the state’s Adopt-A-Highway...
